Ruger Alaskan 454/ 45 Colt

This is a discussion on Ruger Alaskan 454/ 45 Colt within the Defensive Carry Guns forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; I guess 35 yrs wasn't enough. Joining a PD in Alaska next month. I love to fish but was given several suggestions for close encounters ...

Ruger Alaskan 454/ 45 Colt

I guess 35 yrs wasn't enough. Joining a PD in Alaska next month. I love to fish but was given several suggestions for close encounters of the huge and furry kind. I settled on this Ruger Alaskan. What a BEAST. Also picked up the GREAT chest holster from Diamond 'D' Custom Leather.

"A heavily armed citizenry is not about overthrowing the government; it is about preventing the government from overthrowing liberty. A people stripped of their right of self defense is defenseless against their own government." -source

Have someone roll a basketball as hard as they can in your direction and then you try hitting it on the fly with that cannon. That will give you an idea of what you'll be dealing with if that big brownie charges out of the brush, The basketball is a good representation of the vital zone on the move.

If you know you're up against a bear, a 12 ga is minimum. Slugs versus buck can be argued all day, but hits on a bear that is faster than a horse count.

What a neat gun for Alaska! I have two Freedom Arms .454s and love them---I can't wait to see the look on your face when you crank-off that first full-shout .454 round in that snub-nose! Remember, the .454 is nice, but keep an 870 around.

This was one of my holy grails, as they are rare at dealers down here, and finding one at a distributor has been difficult. I found a nice pre-owned Alaskan at a Houston dealer this past week, and did some fast figuring, to find I could afford to start a minimal layaway, if I put off purchasing some photographic equipment. I might be able to pick it up in a couple of weeks, or I may have to wait a while longer, but within 90 days, I will finally have a big-bore DA snubby that fits my hands. I can't get enough finger onto an N-frame's trigger, if the grip is properly centered in the web of my hand, in DA mode. The SRH, however, mimics the dimensions of the GP100, with identical grips in place. The pre-Hogue GP100 factory grip is absolute perfection for my hands, and fits the SRH.

I believe in big-bore long guns for deliberately dealing with dangerous critters, but an SRH Alaskan can be handy, in a chest rig, while one has something else, such as an axe or shovel, in hand, or while one is squatting over a cat hole. I have read too many accounts of people using their bare hands to resist a mauling; better to have some hardcast-lead-dispensing nasal spray. I see the SRH Alaskan as a mega-up-sized SP101, a back-up weapon for environments where one may have to deal with something bigger than humans and mountain lions.